The Seven Pointed Star

This is the seven pointed star at the Tallequah Couthouse in Tallequah, Oklahoma. Each point of the star represents one of the seven Cherokee Clans.

ANI-GI-LO-HI The Long Hair Clan

A-NI-SA-HO-NI The Blue Clan

A-NI-WA-YA The Wolf Clan

A-NI-GO-TE-GE-WI The Wild Potato Clan

A-NI-A-WI The Deer Clan

A-NI-TSI-S-QUA The Bird Clan

AN-I-WO-DI The Paint Clan

Tallequah Courthouse

This is the Tallequah Couthouse, in Tallequah, Oklahoma. It is the seat of the Cherokee Nation in the west.

Claret Cup Cactus

It is hard to imagine a more beautiful cactus flower than the Claret Cup

Storm over Mt Blanca

This was a dramatic time over the mountain. Snow fell up there, while we were still in bright sunlight down below.

Butterfly Weed

This is Butterfly Weed, so named because it's color and fragrance attract butterflies to it. This plant can be seen all through the Eastern Woodlands growing along roadways and in ditches, anywhere the land had been disturbed.

Sequoya Statue

This is a statue of Sequoya, the Cherokee man credited with single handedly developing the written language of the Cherokee People. This statue rests at his homestead in Oklahoma.

The Cherokee are the only native tribe to have developed their own syllabary and therefore have their language written in its own 'alphabet'. Before the Trail of Tears the Cherokee had published the Bible written in the syllabry, had a newspaper that was written in both English and Cherokee, and had developed a school system for the children.

Sunset

Sunset in Texas